GLC Soup Series ~ Soup 4: Mushroom Bisque

I realize there may be some dissent on this recipe, because often mushrooms are a "love or hate" food. However, with the intensely cold weather recently, I'd been thinking about a mushroom bisque I had a long while ago, and really craving it. So that's why it's soup number four, and the second to last of the series.

Likely to be the most "complicated" of all the soups I make for the series, so far this one was my least favorite. Don't get me wrong, I still liked it, but it was also the one that seemed to need something--fortunately for me, and you if you want to make it, I know what it is.

Having never made mushroom bisque from scratch, I consulted numerous recipes. Many I found were heavy on the use of dairy or used a flour roux, and though I'm sure they would be tasty or work well--neither of those would be good to my digestive system, so I kept searching. Finally, I found one I believed would be the best option and, with a handful of my own tweaks, be really tasty.

The base recipe I used was from the Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen. What appealed to me about the recipe is the use of potatoes to create a creamy, thicker texture--instead of heavy cream, for example (though it does call for a cup of low fat milk to be used at the end). It also uses thyme as the (only) herb/spice, which I find to be the most complementary of herbs to mushrooms. However,  the recipe only called for 1/4 tsp--and I increased it to 1/2, but in the revised recipe below I chose to add more. Also, Katzen didn't specify what kind of mushrooms, so I used a mixture of fresh crimini, fresh white button, and some frozen porcini mushrooms.

Original Ingredient list (adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook):

2lb of mushrooms (I used 1lb crimini, 3/4 lb button, 1/4 lb frozen porcini)
2 medium russet potatoes
1 cup of mushroom broth (for cooking potatoes)
1/2 cup of water (for cooking potatoes)
1 1/2 Tbs butter
3-4 chopped onions (about 2 cups)
1 stalk of celery diced
1-2 tsp salt
1 to 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp thyme
3 Tbsp of wine (I split this between a dry white and a dry red)
2 tsp tamari (or other soy sauce)
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of half and half
chopped chives for garnish

The result of the original recipe was a filling, earthy-flavored soup, which was quite nice. However, I had a couple of friends over for dinner where I served it, and we all agreed it was good, but it needed a little something else. One friend suggested some fresh grated parmesan over the top, which might have given it some more complexity (or saltiness).  What I really think is that it just needed more garlic and thyme and a good 1/2 cup of wine or sherry (which is what MC called for), and nix the water all together and only use mushroom broth (or stock). Also MC called for water to cook the potatoes in--and I imagine if I had it would have really been lacking in flavor. So, this is how I'll make it from now on...

Revised Ingredient list:
2lb of mushrooms chopped (mixture, but porcini should definitely be included)
2 medium russet potatoes
2 cups of mushroom broth (for cooking the potatoes), plus 1 extra cup if needed
1 1/2 Tbs butter
3-4 chopped onions (about 2 cups)
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 tsp salt
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup of dry sherry 
2 tsp tamari (or other soy sauce)
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of half and half
chopped chives for garnish

Start by peeling the potatoes and chopping them into one inch squares, then boil the potatoes in the mushroom broth.

While the potatoes are cooking, you can clean and chop your mushrooms.

Melt the butter on medium heat in a heavy bottomed pot (where you'll be making the soup). Once melted and hot add the onions and celery and saute until they start to become translucent, then add the mushrooms. When the mushrooms soften, add the salt, thyme, and garlic. Cook for about 2-3 minutes then add the sherry and tamari.

 

Now it's time to puree the mushrooms and the potatoes. I used my immersion (hand) blender, which readers know I love, and it worked well for the mushrooms. They were nicely diced without being too mushy (though I admit they look it).

 

 Do NOT drain the potatoes--using the hand blender puree the potatoes right in the broth. 

Then add the pureed potatoes and half and half into the mushrooms, and mix well (with a spoon). If the soup is too thick, add the additional cup of mushroom broth. 

Serve with chopped chives, a shave or sprinkle of parmesan, and/or scallions. 

As I mentioned earlier, this is the second to last of my soup series recipes. I would love a vote on the last soup to make. Right now I'm considering a lentil soup, a black-eyed pea with bacon soup, or an old fashioned chicken soup. However, if there's another soup you'd love for me to try (because you're looking for a good recipe) let me know. Please vote on your soup of choice in the comments

In the meantime, Buon Appetito!

GLC Soup Series ~ Soup 3: Easy Peasy Greens and Beansies...

...AKA beans and greens or minestra

 

This is likely to be the easiest of all the soup recipes I post for the series--for one reason: it's a wicked versatile soup. You can alter it a million ways with additions (rice, pasta, meat, other veggies, whatever you fancy), varying ingredients (different kinds of white beans, different kinds of broth, different greens, etc.), or make it less a soup and more of a side by using only a little broth. However, since this is a soup series, that's what I did.

Basic Beans and Greens Soup

Ingredients:

1-2 onions, chopped (1 large or 2 small)
5-8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1-2 Tb good olive oil
2-3 quarts vegetable (or chicken) broth
1 & 1/2 cups of cooked (or canned), rinsed, and drained white beans (navy, great northern, or cannellini all work well)
2 lbs of escarole (about 1 large head) washed and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for topping each bowl

Start by sauteing the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot (like a dutch oven) over a medium flame. When the onions are translucent, add the beans and season with salt and pepper. To get the beans to take on the flavor of the onions and garlic, let it cook (with a watchful eye) for about 5-10 minutes, adjust the heat to avoid burning. Tip--if you want you can add a sage or bay leaf while sauteing the beans for a little extra flavor.

When the beans have cooked for a bit, add the broth and let it come to a light boil. Once the broth is boiling, add the chopped escarole. Once the escarole is wilted, the soup is ready to eat. Pour yourself (and others) a bowl and add cheese to your liking

For alterations and add ins:

If using greens other than escarole: keep in mind that different greens have different cooking requirements. For example, if you want to use collards, you'll want to cut them up in smaller pieces and cook them longer (I might even saute them along with the beans, then add the broth). If using baby spinach, pour the soup over the spinach in individual bowls, otherwise it can turn kind of slimy.

If using meat (such as, say slices of Italian sausage or pancetta): make sure it is cooked and heated through before adding the broth--usually you can cook these with the onion and garlic--that is to say, add a step before adding the beans by adding the meat before the beans.

If using additional veggies: be sure to cook them appropriately. For example, if you want to add carrots, I would saute them along with the garlic and onion to ensure they are soft by the time the soup is ready.

If adding pasta or rice: cook them separately and add them to each individual portion so the broth isn't all absorbed and the pasta or rice doesn't turn to mush after sitting in the soup for a while.

I like this basic recipe because it's so easy and it can be changed often. After I made this, a few nights later I made it with chicken broth and added chicken sausage. How will you make it?

GLC Soup Series: Review of Imagine's Creamy Tomato Soup (not homemade)

I've been experimenting a bit with soup recipes and trying to decide which one to make and write about next, but in the meantime I thought I might talk about a store-bought soup, that I found to be pretty tasty (after I doctored it, just a bit).

In my first soup series post, I mentioned how I still occasionally have Campbell's tomato soup, even though it's loaded with salt and sugar (that's why it's occasionally). I have yet to make a homemade tomato soup I find to be as comforting (though I'm working on it) as that childhood favorite.

Recently, Imagine brand's Organic Creamy Tomato soup was on special at the HWFC. It is low in sugar and calories (the sodium is quite high, though), and as a quick and easy meal, I thought I'd give it a try.

On it's own, the soup is good, but I wouldn't say it's great. However, when I decided to add (as my mom used to do to Campbell's) some tiny pasta (Tinkyada brown rice gluten free shells), some fresh baby spinach, fresh ground pepper, and some grated Parmesan cheese, it was delicious. It totally had the warming, filling comfort you look for in soup. The tomato flavor seemed to shine against the slight bitterness of the spinach, and the soup soaked into the al dente pasta making it more flavorful. And of course, the fresh pepper and cheese complemented the flavor of all the ingredients.

No, it's not homemade, but when it's doctored a bit, it almost seems like it is. I'll be picking up another box of the soup to have on hand for those cold nights when I want a warm, quick, but satisfying meal.

Other add-ins that might be good: cannellini beans sauteed with garlic and onions, homemade garlic butter croutons, or steamed cauliflower and broccoli--or any combination of those.

Quick Tip: If you do use fresh baby spinach, like I did, I suggest putting the spinach on the bottom of each bowl and then pouring the hot soup over it. That way the spinach cooks a little without wilting to the point of almost disappearing. :)

Buon Appetito!

GLC Soup Series ~ Soup Two: Caldo Verde

If you've been following this blog at all, you probably know by now that I am a fan of kale. Well... to be more precise, I try to eat a good amount of it since it's a super food, and when it's prepared the right way, it's quite tasty. I find that kale is a perfect green for soups since it's so hearty and even after it's been in the broth a while it still maintains some texture (unlike spinach, for example). So for the second soup in the series, I decided to include one where kale is a major component. 

Caldo Verde is a Portuguese soup (it's literal translation is "green broth"). It's traditionally made with linguiça (a smoked, cured sausage), but finding it around here was not so easy, so I substituted it with smoked kielbasa made at one of my favorite places in all of Schenectady, Garofalo's. If you're from around the capital region, and don't know this place, I highly suggest a visit (if you're a fan of Italian food or fresh meats, anyway). They've been in business for ages and their products and service are the reason why. After speaking with one of the sisters (an owner), she suggested I use chorizo or the andouille as a linguiça subsitute--which I agreed might be more appropriate replacement sausages--but after I explained that I can only handle so much "heat" from spice, she agreed that the smoked kielbasa was my best bet. 

So here we go, with Gigi's version of....

Caldo Verde

Ingredients:

• 2-3 TB olive oil 
• 1/2 to 3/4 lb linguiça or chorizo or andouille or smoked kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (that's at least a lb pictured above, I didn't use the whole thing)
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced or chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
• 3-5 (about 1 lb) russet or red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 6-8 cups of water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb kale, washed with stems removed and cut into small, bite-sized pieces

Before I go into the steps, please keep in mind that getting good quality sausage is key. You can use one of the supermarket brands for your sausage, but chances are you will end up with a greasy layer of fat on top of your soup, which isn't particularly appetizing. So, I want to make sure it is understood before you make this and decide that it's disgusting--the quality of your ingredients is what can make or break a meal. The majority of sausages I've gotten from Garofalo's are very lean, and there was hardly any fat melting off this keilbasa.

Ok... now on with the cooking.

First heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot (I use my dutch oven) on medium-high heat for approximately 3 minutes. Then add and brown the sausage. Once the sausage is done, transfer it with the spoon to a bowl or plate.

Add more olive oil to the pan if necessary (and let it get hot), then add the garlic and onions. Sauté them until the onions are translucent and then add the potatoes. Toss the potatoes around the pan a bit, but just so they absorb some of the garlic and onion flavoring, not so they get brown. Then add the water and salt, and cook the potatoes until very tender--about 15 minutes.  

Once the potatoes have softened, mash a couple of them within the soup with the spoon or a fork--this adds a little creaminess to the texture of the soup. Then add the kale and let the soup simmer for about 5-7 minutes. 

Once the kale wilts into the soup and appears to be cooked through, add the sausage and stir. Let the soup simmer with all the ingredients for about five minutes or so to make sure the sausage is heated though and the flavors come together nicely. Then it's ready to eat!

For a soup that is so simple, and has so few ingredients, the flavors and textures can't be beat. The smokey and spicy flavor of the sausage complements the bitter greens, while the potatoes add a rich comforting starch with an almost creamy texture. If desired, you could sprinkle a little grated parm on top of this soup, but I don't think it's necessary. And though dipping a nice piece of bread or some crackers might be your normal accoutrements for soup, I don't think this one requires any additions.

You can store leftovers in your refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze it for longer, but I doubt it'll last that long...  I have to admit, over the course of five days, I made it through this entire batch (about 2 quarts). No taste-testers or even frozen leftovers, this soup was all mine. I had it for lunch or dinner each day, and it was gone before I knew it! 

GLC Soup Series ~ Soup One: Carrot Ginger

"Soup! We've got all kinds of soup!"

This was/is a common thing my mom would cheerfully and encouragingly say to me and my siblings when we were looking for a quick dinner. Growing up, my parents' house was (and is, still) full of a variety of canned soups. Rarely, though, did any of them appeal to us. Don't get me wrong, if my mom made soup for dinner (from a can or otherwise), we'd eat it, it just wasn't always the most appetizing food--especially because her homemade food was/is always so much better.

Anyway, this series is not going to be about soup in a can. It's going to be about soups made from scratch. And though they take some effort, they won't be so labor intensive that you'd probably prefer opening a can of Campbell's (and I admit, I still love their high fructose and sodium laden tomato soup on occasion--especially with grilled cheese).

****

The first soup of this series is a carrot ginger soup. Carrots and ginger pair pretty well together, and carrot ginger soup is relatively common. However, it wasn't until about seven years ago on a chilly early spring night, that I had one I loved. It was at a small and pricey French restaurant, so soup was one of the few things I was comfortable ordering there--and I'm glad I did.  Following that night, I searched for recipes and began experimenting with the ones I found until I finally made a carrot ginger soup that I think is just as good as the one from that French restaurant. If you decide to, you can just use vegetable stock (no chicken stock) to make it vegetarian, just don't omit the butter to make it vegan, I can't make any promises about this recipe if you do....

Gigi's Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients (Makes About 2 Quarts):
4 Tb unsalted butter
1 lg yellow onion, chopped
2 Tb minced or finely chopped fresh ginger
3 cloves crushed or minced garlic
4 cups of chicken stock
3 cups vegetable stock or broth
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 in. pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional ingredients for serving:
Fresh lemon juice
Snipped chives or parsley
Olive oil
Sour Cream

Begin by melting the butter on medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed stock pot. Add chopped onions, garlic, and ginger, and saute for 15-20 minutes or until aromatic and onion is translucent. Try not to let the mixture brown as it will create a bitter flavor.

Add white wine and let it cook down a bit to burn off most of the alcohol (3-5 minutes), then add the stock, broth, and carrots. Heat until boiling, then reduce the heat and let simmer uncovered until carrots are tender (about 35-45 minutes).

Once carrots are tender (can be easily crushed with a fork or spoon), turn off the heat. Using either a hand (immersion) blender or a food processor, puree the soup until smooth.  Note: If you are using a food processor, be certain to let the soup cool a bit, puree it in small stages, and leave the shoot open, otherwise you may have a very hot explosion (and subsequent burns and a mess) on your hands... or face or entire kitchen. I used a hand (immersion) blender, which works best and allows you to pretty much serve the soup immediately. I love my immersion blender... someday I'll probably write a post just about that.

Anyway, once the soup is well pureed, you can season with a tablespoon or so of lemon juice (in the whole pot), and serve it with a sprinkle of chives (as I did), parsley, sour cream, or a dash of good olive oil--and any combination you please. I actually really like it with a small dollop of sour cream and than a dash of chive oil on top.

The soup is rich and filling without being very heavy. It is the kind of soup that can work well served as the star of a meal, particularly if it's served with  a good piece of crusty (sourdough, maybe) bread, or even a salad made with mesclun greens, apples or pears, and blue cheese.

My usual taste-tester, Andrea, had a cup of it after I made it and she said, "I think this is the best carrot ginger soup I've ever had." Granted, she seems to like most of what I cook, but I agree with her. :)

Bon Appétit! 

Short cuts: though I recommend fresh ginger, you can use the pre-crushed stuff that comes in a jar (not the dried, masticated stuff) to make this soup just be sure to use an extra tablespoon or so, and to make the prep a little quicker, you can always used some baby cut carrots (chopped in half length-wise) since they're already peeled and washed. 

Put a Stock in It!

I love this time of year. It's my favorite kind of weather and the changing, colorful leaves makes everything seem so cheerful to me. The other day while on a bike ride, it felt somewhat magical when the wind picked up and I rode through a parade of little yellow leaves falling from the trees--even though my nose was running and I was looking forward to getting a warm beverage once I was finished. Of course, typically autumn means cool, often rainy, days become the norm and we seek comfort from the chill that sometimes gets into our bones through hot, flavorful foods. Many of those foods, particularly the soups we tend to make this time of year, include the use of stocks (chicken, veggie, etc.). You can buy stock at the grocery store, of course, but why not make it yourself, particularly if you have the ingredients on hand and they may otherwise not get used.

For example, ever buy a rotisserie chicken or bake a whole chicken at home? What do you do with the leftover bones/carcass? I know, "carcass" isn't the most appetizing word, but if you can get past it, I highly suggest taking what's left of the bird (especially if there's some meat left on it), and making a stock with it. I did just that recently.

I used my slow cooker, so making this stock was unbelievably easy. If you have one I would suggest using it as well, because other than maybe stirring it occasionally, you can just let the stock simmer all day and not worry about keeping an eye on it. However, it's just as easy to make on the stove as well.

Gina's Chicken Stock 

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized leftover chicken carcass from a rotisserie (baked works fine, too)
3-4 carrots (washed, but no need to peel them)
3-4 celery ribs (again just washed, no need to trim)
1-2 onions, skin peeled and cut in half
1-2 bay leaves (if small, use two)
3-4 whole cloves garlic (peeled)
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1-2 tsp of sea salt (or more to taste, but be careful not to over salt)
1/2-1 cup fresh parsley (washed, but again... no need to chop)
2 -3 quarts of water

Another item needed: a good mesh strainer

Now, this may be hard to believe, but all you need to do, is put everything in the pot (slow cooker or large stove top pot) and cover it with water then set it on low heat, put the cover on, and leave it for the next 6-10 hours. You want the stock to simmer* for the entire time, so you can stop to stir it occasionally, but other than that, you can just leave it alone until you're ready for the only (not really) challenging part of making the stock: straining it and storage.

After about three hours my house was beginning to smell of chicken soup (the good homemade kind, not the ring o' noodle kind). And this is what the stock looked like:

I let it cook for another four hours, though. I wanted to get the most out of my stock, and the longer it simmers the more the flavor develops. But after seven hours, I was ready to use some of the stock, so it was time for straining it.

Now, if I didn't have a slight tendency to be klutzy, I probably could have picked up the ceramic insert from my slow cooker and poured the whole thing into the large bowl over the strainer, but I didn't want to chance having the stock go everywhere--so I chose the safe and easy way to strain it, even if it was a bit more time consuming.

Using a pair of tongs, I removed all the large items from the stock and placed them in the strainer over the bowl. (I wanted to make sure to get as much liquid as I could out of this stock, so I didn't want to toss the large pieces of chicken and veggies).

Once all the larger items were removed and sufficiently strained of all liquid, I tossed the items away. Then I started pouring the liquid through the strainer using a large ladle. Because chickens have some tiny bones and using a slow cooker makes everything fall apart, I actually strained the stock twice to make sure I didn't end up with any "debris" in my stock. But after I was done, I ended up with just over two quarts of richly flavored stock. I froze a little more than half of it and put the rest in the refrigerator to use throughout the week.

So simple and easy, and it's a great way to save or get the most out of your money. I'll without a doubt be doing this again.

*If you have it on the stove make sure it doesn't start to come to a boil, otherwise you could end up with a bit of mess and a lot of liquid loss, which you want to avoid so the stock retains all the intense flavors (that's the point of a stock after all). 

Leftover Polenta? Try these!

Polenta Croutons

So, admittedly this recipe makes a lot of polenta and if you don't have a large family (or appetite) it can leave a good amount of leftovers.

I find that I usually prefer polenta the day I make it, even though there are a lot of recipes that suggest you spread the creamy or even "mushy" stuff into a pan, let it cool (in a refrigerator or on the counter) to harden a bit, and then slice squares or pieces of it to serve. Strangely,  I kind of like the semi-soft mush so that's usually how I eat it. However, a long while ago I was at an Italian-American restaurant that used polenta (i.e., gluten free) croutons in one of their salads and they were fantastic. Normally, I don't care for croutons--at least ones from a bag, etc. They're too crunchy and salty and they just don't work on a salad for me. The polenta ones, however, had the perfect tooth bite and didn't threaten to cut up the roof of my mouth.

So, anyway, I set out to use my leftovers to mimic those famous polenta croutons. And, not to toot my own horn (well, maybe a little), they were pretty damn good.

Ingredients:
Polenta spread into a pan and refrigerated overnight (or for several hours)
1 Tb butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
Olive oil, if needed


This is what I did:

I spread the leftover polenta into a cake pan so that it was maybe 1/2 inch high, then I refrigerated it overnight.

The next day, I cut it into "crouton-sized" squares. In a medium frying pan, I added the butter and garlic powder and turned the flame to about medium heat.

Once the butter was melted and a little frothy, I added the polenta. Then it was a patience game because in order to make sure the squares get crispy, I needed each side (or almost each side) to brown a little. I would say I gave it about 7 minutes per side on medium to low heat.

You really just need to keep your eye on them and try not to let the butter brown much. If you find the polenta sticking at all, add a couple drops of olive oil (you can also add more butter, if you prefer).

Once they were lightly browned and crisp on the outside, I gave one a try on its own. Buttery and garlicky crispiness on the outside and a creamy polenta center... it was pretty heavenly--and I think I managed to replicate the ones I had at that restaurant... mine might even have been better. 

This is how I served them:

I think it was one of the best salads I've ever made (mesclun greens, herbs, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, and some fresh mozz with a balsamic vinaigrette--and of course the croutons).